"An Illustrated History of the Big Bend Country; Embracing Lincoln, Douglas,
Adams and Franklin Counties; State of Washington". Spokane, Western Historical
Publishing Company, Publishers, 1904. pp. 834-835.
HAL CRAMPTON is engaged in farming five miles east from Hatton, where he has
been since 1888. He is a native of Flint, Genesee county, Michigan, born July
29, 1866, and the son of George and Marenda (Hibbard) Crampton. The father is a
native of England and the mother of Michigan. They settled in Michigan at the
time of their marriage, and never left the state. The father is dead, but the
mother still lives at Lennon. They have always lived on a farm, and were parents
of seven sons, Bert, deceased, our subject, William, Charles, Frank, Harry and
John.
Mr. Crampton received a good common school education in the state of his
birth and at the age of twenty-one started in life independently. He came west
in 1888 and settled first in Walla Walla, Washington, but during the same year
he came to his present locality, where he filed a homestead and timber culture
on the farm where he now lives. He says he saw some really hard times in gaining
a start here, but that he always enjoyed a plenty of the necessities of life and
managed somehow to improve his land. In 1899 he purchased a half-section of
railroad land, and at intervals since that time he has added to his farm until
he now owns one thousand five hundred and sixty acres of farm land and one
hundred and sixty acres of timber. He has eleven hundred and fifty acres under
cultivation, and improved with the most modern type of farm buildings and
conveniences. He maintains twenty-five head of farm horses, and an excellent
orchard.
Mr. Crampton was married to Fannie Powers, daughter of Melvin and Ellen
(Fisher) Powers, the former a native of New York and the latter of Pennsylvania.
The parents of Mrs. Crampton settled in Ohio early in life, and later removed to
Michigan, where the mother still lives, the father dying some years since. They
are parents of six children: Jennie, now Mrs. A Jennings; Fannie, Harvey, Mrs.
Amy Urch, Mrs. Lillie Hibbard and Mertie, deceased.
Mr. Crampton is an active Democrat, and a member of the Odd Fellows. He has
repeatedly held office as a member of his local school board.
Mrs. Crampton is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Submitted by: Georgia Harter Williams, georgiahw@earthlink.net